Police have opened an investigation after the body of a 45-year-old construction worker was found at an under-construction residential building in Ramakrishnapally, within the Narendrapur police station area of Kolkata, on Saturday. The worker’s family has alleged that he was murdered, while police have registered a case of unnatural death and sent the body for post-mortem examination.
The deceased has been identified as Ranju Mondal, a resident of Chandpur in the Sonarpur police station area. According to police, Mondal worked as a helper to masons at the building. The construction site became the focus of the investigation after his family began searching for him when he did not return home.
Police said workers had gathered at the building on Friday for drinking during Vishwakarma Puja. Mondal’s family reportedly started looking for him the following morning. His body was subsequently found at the same construction site. The report said the other workers who had been present could not be located at the time.
Mondal’s family has questioned why his companions did not inform his relatives if he had fallen ill after drinking. His sister, Manju Mondal, alleged that blood was visible around his eyes and nose and claimed that he had been killed. The allegation has not been established by the investigation.
Mondal is survived by his mother, wife and two children. The circumstances at the construction site, including what happened during the gathering on Friday night and how Mondal died, are now part of the police inquiry.
Police have registered an unnatural-death case and begun investigating the incident. The post-mortem report is expected to help determine the cause of death and establish whether the injuries noticed by the family were connected to the death. Further action will depend on the findings of the examination and the investigation.
